New York Jets Offensive Stars Who Need to Shine Against Houston Texans

Here are the offensive players to watch for each team as the New York Jets prepare to face the Houston Texans on Thursday.

Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) runs after a catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The New York Jets will try to break a five-game losing streak when they host the Houston Texans on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The night game, which falls on Halloween, is sure to feature plenty of fans in costume. Jets (2-6) fans how their team shows up in something that resembles a football team after squandering another chance to win against New England on Sunday, falling 25-22 even though they held the lead with less than three minutes left.

Houston (6-2) has won four of its last five games and the offense is capable of putting up plenty of points. But the status of receivers Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs bears watching throughout the week.

Here are the offensive players to watch for both teams entering Thursday’s game.

New York Jets

WR Garrett Wilson

He's putting together another great season and on Sunday he proved that he doesn't need a high volume of targets to make an impact. He caught five passes for 113 yards and every single catch was tough to make and meaningful to helping the Jets put some points on the board. His season numbers are ballooning — 51 catches for 573 yards and three touchdowns. New York isn’t a good team, but you wouldn’t know it by his numbers.

TE Tyler Conklin

New York really needs to look for him more often down the seam of the field. It worked on Sunday against New England as he put together some nice gains for the Jets. He also caught a tough touchdown pass early in the game. He has 26 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns. It seems every catch he makes has relevance.

RB Braelon Allen

The Jets have been patient with Breece Hall, and his lack of production as a running back may better be explained by the offensive line. But Allen, a rookie, has a better yards per carry average than Hall (4.2 to 3.7) on far fewer attempts. He also has a touchdown. This isn’t to say that the Jets need to bench Hall. But perhaps it’s time to emphasize Allen a bit more, given how much difficulty Hall is having as a lead back?

Houston Texans

QB C.J. Stroud

Last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is putting together another stellar campaign. He’s thrown for 1,948 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s coming off 285 yards passing with a touchdown against Indianapolis and he’s getting this done without some of his top weapons.

RB Joe Mixon

The Texans signed the veteran in the offseason to bolster their running game and he’s come as advertised. He’s rushed for 503 yards and five touchdowns with a terrific 4.9 yard-per-carry average. He’s a trustworthy target in the passing game, too. But with the weapons on the edge Houston can allow him to focus on the ground game.

WR Tank Dell

With Nico Collins set to miss at least one more game on injured reserve and Stefon Diggs suffering a non-contact injury on Sunday, Stroud will be looking Dell's direction quite a bit on Thursday. He's been reliable, as he's caught 24 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He just hasn't gotten the volume that Collins and Diggs have gotten this season.